Softwr

Veterinary · head to head

Onward Vet vs Open Dental

Onward Vet logo

Onward Vet

Veterinary

Small-vendor cloud practice management sold on flat subscription with unlimited users

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Open Dental logo

Open Dental

Healthcare

Powerful, Affordable Practice Management

From
$169/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Onward Vet the vendor is small, so support depth, release pace and the ability to absorb a serious outage are all limited compared with IDEXX, Covetrus or the larger cloud vendors.; Open Dental uS support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • They diverge on capability: Onward Vet covers Flat practice subscription, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Onward Vet and Open Dental actually diverge.

Attributes where Onward Vet and Open Dental differ
AttributeOnward VetOpen Dental
Starting priceOn request$169/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, Api
CategoryVeterinaryHealthcare
FoundedUnknown2003

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Onward Vet

  • Flat practice subscription
  • Cloud hosted
  • Medical records and SOAP
  • Estimates and treatment plans
  • Client communication
  • Laboratory integration

Only in Open Dental

  • Patient scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Insurance claim processing
  • Treatment planning
  • Digital imaging integration
  • Patient communication
  • Reporting and analytics
  • eServices integration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Onward Vet

  • A clinic with a large rota of part-time technicians and receptionists where per-seat pricing is disproportionatenot Open Dental
  • A single-site practice leaving an ageing on-premise system that no longer wants to maintain a servernot Open Dental
  • A new practice that needs a working record system quickly without a long configuration projectnot Open Dental
  • A cost-sensitive clinic that wants cloud practice management without paying for integration breadth it will not usenot Open Dental

Open Dental

  • Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Onward Vet
  • Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot Onward Vet
  • Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot Onward Vet

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Onward Vet

  • The vendor is small, so support depth, release pace and the ability to absorb a serious outage are all limited compared with IDEXX, Covetrus or the larger cloud vendors.
  • The integration catalogue is short, so specialist imaging, communication or wellness plan tools that connect to ezyVet or Provet Cloud may need manual handling here.
  • Reporting is basic, so a practice that wants production analysis by veterinary surgeon, detailed inventory valuation or multi-site consolidation will be exporting data to a spreadsheet.
  • There is no on-premise option, so a clinic with an unreliable internet connection has no fallback when the link goes down and the appointment book becomes unreachable.
  • Concentration risk is real with a supplier of this size: acquisition, a change of direction or a funding problem would put your record system into other hands, so test the data export before committing.

Open Dental

  • US support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • The monthly fee covers up to 3 providers per location; each additional provider is $20 per month
  • Fees are charged per location, so a multi site practice pays for every office
  • eServices are charged separately per location, including eClipboard at $45 a month, ODMobile at $35 a month and eConfirmations at $25 a month
  • Electronic prescribing through DoseSpot costs $57 per month per prescribing provider
  • Conversion and implementation fees are not published and require consultation

Pricing, plan by plan

Onward Vet

On request
  • Onward Vet$undefined/year
    • Quoted as a flat monthly practice subscription
    • Unlimited user accounts
    • Cloud hosting, backup and updates included

Open Dental

$169/month
  • Standard$169/month
    • Full software access
    • Unlimited workstations
    • Technical support
  • Cloud$249/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Cloud hosting
    • Automatic backups

Which should you pick?

Choose Onward Vet if

  • You need flat practice subscription.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want cloud hosted.
Onward Vet review

Choose Open Dental if

  • You need patient scheduling.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want clinical charting.
Open Dental review

Questions people ask

Is Onward Vet or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Onward Vet starts at On request and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Onward Vet or Open Dental?
Onward Vet starts at On request and Open Dental at $169/month.
Does Onward Vet or Open Dental run on more platforms?
Onward Vet runs on Web, iOS, Android. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
What is Onward Vet best used for?
Onward Vet is most often used for a clinic with a large rota of part-time technicians and receptionists where per-seat pricing is disproportionate, a single-site practice leaving an ageing on-premise system that no longer wants to maintain a server, a new practice that needs a working record system quickly without a long configuration project, a cost-sensitive clinic that wants cloud practice management without paying for integration breadth it will not use. Of those, a clinic with a large rota of part-time technicians and receptionists where per-seat pricing is disproportionate and a single-site practice leaving an ageing on-premise system that no longer wants to maintain a server are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Onward Vet do that Open Dental cannot?
Onward Vet covers Flat practice subscription, Cloud hosted, Medical records and SOAP, Estimates and treatment plans. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Onward Vet: How is it priced?

As a flat practice subscription with unlimited users, quoted rather than published, which is why it suits clinics with many part-time staff.

Open Dental: How much does Open Dental cost?

Open Dental costs $199/month per location or office with a 12-month contract minimum. After the initial 12-month term, pricing continues on a month-to-month basis at a reduced rate.

Source
Onward Vet: Is it suitable for a multi-site group?

Not really. It is built for single-site independent clinics; consolidated reporting and cross-site inventory are not its strength.

Open Dental: What does the $199/month fee include?

The monthly fee includes software access, full telephone support, all software releases, imaging and video capture, patient portal and web forms, and automated reminder features for up to 3 dentists per location.

Source
Onward Vet: What happens if the internet goes down?

You lose access to the appointment book and records. There is no on-premise fallback, so a secondary connection is a sensible precaution.

Open Dental: Does Open Dental offer a money-back guarantee?

Open Dental includes a 90-day money-back guarantee on subscription fees.

Source
Onward Vet: Can I get my data out?

Ask for a full export during evaluation and check what format it comes in. With a small vendor this is a question to answer before you sign, not afterwards.

Open Dental: What additional costs are there?

Data conversions from other dental software systems incur additional fees. Customized training with an Open Dental trainer is also available at extra cost.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Onward Vet

More on Open Dental

Keep looking

Other head to heads